Sand and Sea
by Martinus Gladius
Summary: It is about a savage boy, who somehow experiences the life of a pirate.
1. I

**I**

Finally, the sun rose above dark grey clouds which were surrounding a small village for centuries. This village was one of the most violent and bloodthirsty villages that you could ever imagine; this was a barbaric village; this place was called, 'Gurdev Zac'. Their world, the 'barbaric world' seemed like the chaos and collapse of a civilisation. However, they were living very peacefully compared to what some farmers said about these savages. Now, it is the sixth century, out of all primitive beliefs; they had one very strict rule which was rarely broken because of its massive consequences, but it said, "Whomever kills an animal and does not share with another family member; this person will be banished from the village; but also this person will be taken to an island, 'Gar-thed-uv'; without food, living alone; forever.". Today, this law had been broken by a poor child. The barbaric chief had no mercy, even to a fifteen year old child.

The child's name was, 'Dorolh'. He was of average height. Dorolh had black hair which was very short, since one of the traditions of this barbaric village was that, "whenever a boy loses a fight, he must cut his hair". The boy's eyes were dark brown and he was very slim; almost as if he was starving. Dorolh's clothes were reflecting the world that he was living in. His shirt was dirty through blood and mud; the shirt looked like an ancient wreck. Also, this clothing was too large for the poor child. His trousers were brown, baggy and again, too big to be worn; whereas, Dorolh's shoes were destroyed to the point were the tip of his toes were easy to see.

The barbaric chief, known as, 'Xank', which meant, (in the barbaric language of this village), 'the omniscient and the omnipotent'. He sent people to say that all the people of the village need to meet at twelve o'clock p.m. at the highest hill in the village.

Blood was coming from underneath every single doorstep in the village; this meant twelve o'clock for these uncivilized people. When villagers crowded the hill, the 'Barbaric Chief', 'Xank' began his speech by saying, "There was a very disruptive and rather exciting event which happened this morning… a child, Dorolh Brank, son of Bruguel, broke our sainted rule. I thought about my decision; kill him or send him to the island…and I chose the second option. Therefore, Dorolh step forward." Dorolh too afraid to look at villagers went to, 'Xank', and stood shrinking in fear of the outcome. The Chief said in a mocking voice. "Today, it is your day!" The crowd erupted with imitational laughter. The 'Barbaric Chief' continued his merciless speech. "Look at these people. This is your last chance to see them." He cruelly laughed.


	2. II

The 'Barbaric Chief' said to his guards, "Get him! For the final voyage of his pathetic life." Immediately, two muscular and gigantic men rose; they were about seven foot tall. Both men had dark silver armour, a little rusty, they wore black helmets as well which made them seem even more terrifying and heartless. One of them held a big black bag. Whereas, the other guard had his metal glove clenched as if he was ready for a fight. Dorolh, so confused and terrified in this situation; was not aware that the fight was actually between him and the barbaric guard. Therefore, the guard hastily punched the poor boy brutally with his right hand upon his jaw, which resulted in knocking the boy out. The impact of the punch was so violent and powerful that the boy fell into the mud; falling unconscious. After a few seconds, the other guard kneeled next to Dorolh and whispered, "I wish… there could be another way, you little bird." The guard slowly put the big black bag onto the boy's face, as if he wanted to cover the shame of the village. Then, both guards picked up the poor boy and dragged him into a local stable and left him inside of the building.

On the following day, in the morning, the, 'delicate' guard went to the local stable; he took Dorolh over his shoulder; then he prepared his horse and the voyage began. The whole voyage took the guard about seven restless days. He travelled through the mountains which contained the worst bandits in the whole of the 'East', and to the ports of the biggest treasure hunters of the 'North'. At last, when both the guard and his horse were so exhausted; they took time for a rest. The location was so foggy and enigmatic that the best idea was to stay in one place, because otherwise you might meet with monsters from, 'The Black Forest'; which are very well known from their demonic behaviours. Also, there was a massive 'Loch' and a very tiny platform for small boats. After an hour of resting, suddenly, out of the darkness and fogginess, a little boat appeared with a gondolier in a pure black monk's robe. The guard took the boy over his shoulder, and he went to the platform to place Dorolh into the boat. However, the gondolier exposed his hand in a gesture as if he demanded payment for transport of the boy.


	3. III

"Oh yes," said the guard without emotion. The guard gave a coin to the gondolier. The gondolier responded with welcoming hand gesture. The guard placed the boy into the boat, and the gondolier smoothly returned to the darkness and fogginess from which he had appeared from. Yet again, the voyage was tremendously long; it took the gondolier about two to three hours to get to the island.

Finally, when both men reached the destination, the boy somehow woke up; not aware of anything that surrounded him. He then saw the island.

The island was not an attractive place; full of murkiness and rancorousness. On the island, there was a gigantic forest and an old castle; which in fact was a prison, which broke the sainted rule of the village. The castle was so ancient that its colour was similar to wolf's fur. However, this castle seemed to be constructed upon the water. Although, many centuries ago, there was not the, 'Loch'; there was a great battle between savages and knights from affluent families; they fought about everything but they gained nothing; they left a great number of dead bodies. Happily, after the battle, the water rose and the battlefield almost dissolved from the, 'barbaric world'.

The gondolier patiently waited. He was next to a small platform. This was close to the castle, so that the guards of the prison could take the boy into the prison; into his cell. No less than a minute later, two guards appeared and grabbed the boy by his arms; they dragged him from the boat into a room, where their chief was waiting by his desk.

Dorolh opened his eyes and saw his body tied tightly with ropes around a chair from which he could not escape. Also, he saw the chief in front in his face; the chief was wearing a black coat, and a black hat similar to 'Robin Hood's' hat. The man smoked some kind of herbs and, suddenly, he blew the smoke into Dorolh's face, as if he wanted the boy to choke. The man began his interrogation by introducing himself; he said, "Welcome to, 'Gar-thed-uv', Mr…" the man was waiting for an answer. Then Dorolh said, "Mr... Brank." The chief continued his questioning, "Well, Mr Brank … why are you here? What is the reason for your presence, Mr Brank?" Dorolh answered with seriousness upon his face, "I was accused of something which I did not do." The man slapped the boy's right cheek, "Answer my questions, properly. Again, what was the reason, Mr Brank?" Dorolh answered, "I was accused of something which I did not do." The man slapped Dorolh's left cheek, "I want an answer, not a lie, Mr Brank. Again, what was the reason, Mr Brank?" Silence remained, just for a few seconds and the boy screamed like an animal, in an angry manner, "I did not break the rule!" The chief took the knife from his desk; then, he slashed with the edge of the knife through Dorolh's right cheek; making an enormous gash. The chief was ready to do another, more brutal move, however the man heard the voice of his employees. "Boss, the newcomers!" The chief said to the guards, "You two, show Mr Brank, where he belongs." The chief cruelly laughed and left the room; whilst one of the guards untied the boy form the ropes; whereas the other guard was waiting to execute the boy with his right hand.


	4. IV

The moon rose to the sky as if it was the only source of light in the whole universe. No candles were lighted in any cells or rooms. Dorolh thought, 'maybe the chief's room had some light within it that could challenge the darkness and coldness of the prison'. Dorolh was crying in the corner of his cell. His massive tears were falling down on his lifeless cheeks. The tears created a waterfall of helplessness upon his face. He lay down in the corner of his cell. Dorolh was in a position that emphasised how much pain and suffering the boy had felt over the past few days. Also, on his left side, just about where his rib cage could be seen; his shirt was covered in blood. He was so acutely injured; his blood created an enormous puddle.

Dorolh woke up after he heard crashing footsteps, which almost crushed the wooden stairs. Eventually he saw a gigantic man. The man had hands which were colossal; as if he had been a farmer previously. The man wore a long black coat, made of a leather and prodigious black boots upon his feet. He held a huge baking pot which contained, 'food' (as some of the prisoners called it). This, 'food' seemed like it was, 'vomit' and it smelled of a specific and awful odour. Every single prisoner had a metal bowl within their cell. The bowl was simply made. Some of the bowls were already rusty inside. However, the hunger of the prisoners was, 'speaking' louder than the part of their consciousness which cared about, 'hygiene'. When, Dorolh got his turn to taste the food, the muscular man gave him less of the food than the other prisoners. The boy looked at the man and said with frustration, "Where is my food?" The muscular man grabbed Dorolh by his shirt and forcefully brought the boy into the cell. The other prisoners shouted and demanded, "Fight! Fight! Fight! " The man brought his face near the boy's. He gave him eye contact which terrified the boy and said quietly. "Eat it or… you won't have it at all!" Then the man threw Dorolh back to his cell, and continued with his activity.

After this experience, Dorolh realised that being in the jail was just wasting his own time. He knew only rapists, murders and thieves; no innocent people! Therefore, Dorolh promised to himself that when he left the prison; he would change his life for the better. However, he did not know how he would achieve this dream. And then…Dorolh heard the wildest scream that he could ever imagine. The chief screamed in a panicked voice, "Pirates! I cannot believe they are back again!"


	5. V

After these words; the sound of guns, blood spilling and the roaring of warriors began. The pirates' ship was not useless in the barrage; the ship used its twenty guns to devastate the environment on the island. Dorolh was scared but a little excited that for the first time he would see pirates. When, the boy was about six or seven he always enjoyed stories about pirates. Some of the stories were tremendously cruel and others were amusing. However, Dorolh thought again about the pirates and realised that his immature thoughts needed to disappear. The boy knew that in reality, people are heartless and cruel; that even sometimes he needs to keep a distance from the qualities of people that he truly adores.

Surprisingly, Dorolh heard the crushing of wooden doors. Immediately, the boy heard the deep serious voice of a man. The man said, "Who is the chief of the prison?" The chief proudly responded, as if he was fearless of any confrontation with pirates. "Me…Donald-" The chief did not finish his dialogue, however the man, who asked the question; finished his conversation. A gunshot was the man's answer. The man asked again with his deep voice, "Do you have keys?" Another man replied in his enthusiastic and rather cruel voice, "Ay ay Captain!" Both men went downstairs, where all prisoners were caged in small cells. One of the men wore a huge pirate's hat and therefore Dorolh thought that this must be, 'the Captain'. The men were looking for something. Finally, they stopped next to Dorolh's cell. The other prisoners shouted, "Free me! I'm strong and young!" 'The Captain' looked at Dorolh with suspicion, as if he knew the boy. "Hey boy, how old are you?" 'The Captain' asked. Dorolh answered mumbling, "Fifteen." "Take him." 'The Captain' demanded. Dorolh thought, "Finally, I will feel free like a bird". The boy felt the warmth that he had not felt for a long period of time. His dream became a reality and Dorolh could not be more delighted to feel his freedom again.

'The Captain' and the other man took Dorolh onto the ship. 'The Captain' said, as if he was not talking to the boy with boredom in his voice, "Clean the floor." Dorolh was confused, but when he heard the other man repeating the Captain's order; the boy thought to himself; "…at least I'm resurrected."


	6. VI

Three years later, Dorolh was an eighteen year old man. He changed from a cadaverous and innocent boy to the assistant of, 'the Captain'. His innocence was replaced with pirates' symbols of skulls and slogans, such as: "Who said that innocence isn't cruel" or, "Pirates, the best enemies; lost friends". Of course, one of his tattoos was related to the woman of his dreams. This imaginary woman was of average height with long, curly, black hair. For Dorolh her eyes were of the colour blue. As Dorolh said, a number of times to his pirate friends, the reason of the blue eyes is to remind him that she is his, 'sea'. The, 'sea' for Dorolh was everything that he adored the most and the only place that he would be able to trust. However, this dream of his did not become reality, at least not at this point in his life.

Throughout these three tremendous years, Dorolh learned two skills: how to use his sword proficiently and how to express himself clearly. Actually, the second skill he learned from, 'the Captain'. It was a form of recompense from, 'the Captain' after Dorolh protected his leader in one of the first of the man's, 'boardings' of his entire life.

It was about twelve o'clock, the sun was at its highest point of a day. 'The Captain' cleared his voice and began to speak to his crew. "All of you, dirty bastards, get ready to have more women and gold. On the north-east I see a boat with goods in it. So move your lazy asses to the paddles!" He pointed his gun into the sky, and pushed the trigger of the gun; he then shouted with evil laughter, "Now!"

All of the pirates then began to run to their positions like a primitive bunch of animals. Dorolh ;as an assistant of, 'the Captain', shouted with a delighted smile upon his face, "To your positions, you lazy rats. Do you want capture a big fish or nothing?" The Pirates responded as one, "A big fish, ay ay Captain's ass-istant!"

The boat was moving three times faster with paddles than without them. The boat's name was, 'The silence of Miasma'. This boat was dark red with a luminous green sail. What was unique about the boat was that the front of the boat looked like the head of a dragon. The boat contained more than 20 guns; this meant destruction and devastation for any royal or traders' boats.

The boat was closer to the targeted boat and…


	7. VII

Dorolh's command had been heard in the whole of the pirates' ship. He said, with a proud smile upon his face, "Leave the paddles, and prepare the guns for destruction, you slothful animals!" After this simple command Dorolh took a deep breath. Then the assistant of, 'the Captain' slowly walked to the, 'main-mast' of the ship. With all of his pride, Dorolh looked at the top of the, 'main-mast.' He then looked at the thinnest rope that he could find and he started to untangle the rope. Finally, Dorolh had taken hold of the rope and started to pull the rope downwards. As he pulled the rope down, the darkness of grey clouds surrounded the ship. The voices were heard from the other ship, "Pirates! Please, don't kill my people!" On the rope that Dorolh pulled down, there was a pirate flag with a symbol of the ship. 'The silence of Miasma' had a pirate symbol that was light green; a dragon's skull with a black background!

The sailor's ship anchored and, 'the silence of Miasma' anchored also in silence for a few seconds. The sailors formed a line on one side of their ship; they faced the pirates with terrified expressions upon their face. The pirates did the same, 'movement' as if they were playing a game of chess; however the stake of this game was life. Within the silence, the wind was only heard and suddenly the inner doors opened in the pirates' ship. The thunder rumbled as the doors opened; within them, 'the Captain' waited. He stroked his dark brown beard, as if he was considering an important decision within his life. 'The Captain' went closer to the edge of his ship to look at the sailors. Then, one of the sailors seemed to re-load his gun while, 'the Captain' turned away. He said in his deep voice, "Come on, where is the little boy with the gun."

A gun shoot went off and, 'the Captain' was then laying down on the deck of the ship. 'The Captain's' last words were, "Women, gold, Dorolh is the new captain, and I'm old." It was very dramatically spoken, directly to Dorolh or now; Captain Dorolh!

Dorolh left the dead man and joined the battle between the sailors and pirates. In his first few swings of his sword, he killed ten men. Then he saw an innocent girl, who was sitting under stairs of the sailor's ship…


	8. VIII

'The Captain' Dorolh rushed to aid the poor girl. However, for him every step seemed like a journey through the longest river that ever existed. Then, 'the Captain' kneeled beside the girl. He quickly swallowed his saliva that smelled like five bottles of rum. Capitan Dorolh Brank began to ask the girl in a very polite manner, "What's your name, girl?" The girl looked at him with her big, blue, beautiful eyes. She was gorgeous. For Dorolh, she was the ideal girl, the girl of his dreams. However, she did not answer to, 'the Captain's' question. Dorolh was shocked by the reaction of his, 'ideal girl'. He looked at the girl with seriousness upon his face. Dorolh then asked the girl, "Do you know who I am?" The girl said with her sweet voice, "No?" This answer irritated Dorolh and he left the girl by herself. The girl was shocked and, 'the Captain' returned to the battle between his crew and the sailors. He commanded, "Kill all of them! Take all the goods from the ship!" Dorolh turned his head and then he slaughtered three sailors with his sword. Yet again, he turned and saw two old pirates. He cruelly smiled at them and said, "Both of you. Find me the girl." As the pirates were running away, he shouted, "She must be alive!" Then he made his way to his cabin.

Most of the crew brought numerous numbers of gold and silver objects. When all of the pirates returned with goods to the ship, it seemed that there was time for laughter. There was time for a celebration. However, mainly, it was time to continue the destruction of, 'the silence of Miasma'. The pirates without a single command from their, 'Captain', loaded the guns and fired towards the sailor's ship.

Captain Dorolh was looking at the clouds that created the darkness. However, as more devastation was done, the quicker the clouds disappeared from the sunlight. Dorolh looked again at the sailor's ship; it was a wreck. There was not any other ship which could survive or challenge the domination that, 'the silence of Miasma' could provide. Some people were still screaming for mercy but, 'the Captain' did not stop.

As Dorolh victoriously stood, somebody's wet hand touched his back. It was one of the pirates, who was ordered to bring back the girl to, 'the Captain'. The pirate mumbled, "Captain, we have a problem." 'The Captain's' face turned red and his eyebrows made him seem furious. The pirate continued, "The girl is dead. We were not able to find her." Dorolh started to swear in the language of his origins. He looked again at the pirate and shouted without patience, "What did you say?! How dare you not follow my commands!" Dorolh was ready to fight with the old pirate, however five men from his crew held him back from the pirate. The old pirate said, "You don't deserve to be our, 'Captain'. Hey, you five, throw him to the sea. May be then, he will find the place where he belongs." The five pirates listened to the old pirate's command and they threw Dorolh into the sea.

Dorolh felt lost in the open water and he could not find any near land. In fact, Dorolh could not swim at all, therefore he was drowning. Suddenly, in the water; hope saved the man's life…


	9. IX

It could be a creature or person. Whatever it was, it was rapid enough to aid Dorolh to survive the next day. Moreover, the only image that stayed in Dorolh's mind was him looking at, 'his ideal girl'. It was a bizarre and unusual dream; it felt real and truthful because he loved the girl. Also, in the dream it was only him, the girl and the sailor's ship. Furthermore, in the dream, neither sky nor sea existed. However, there was a plain white sphere surrounding everything.

Dorolh seemed to be the most conscious person in this dream. Therefore, he asked the girl with confusion upon his face, "Where am I? Is it heaven or hell?" A silence remained. He kneeled next to the girl as he did before; shook her body, he was asking demandingly, "Answer my questions, woman!" The girl looked at him and laughed. She responded with a beautiful voice as some birds from the, 'Garden of Eden' possess, "We are in a place, where your journey is meant to finish. What did you secretly demand; it is displayed here. You wanted a ship and to be with a girl of your dreams … and to be with her alone." She paused and looked curious. "Hmm…you seem unsatisfied." Her voice changed to become more mature and serious, "Yet, you have an opportunity to decide as to whether or not you would like to live this way." She stood and levitated to the top of the, 'main-mast'; finishing her monologue, "Do you want your life to be controlled or do you want to be in control?"

Strong waves awakened Dorolh from his dream. He was laying down on a beach between sand and sea. Dorolh was unable to move. He felt as if all of his bones were broken. Then, he thought to himself, "I need to be in control of my life. My life needs to be better than anybody else's. It does not matter how much I would be treated disrespectfully by others. A true man knows where he stands, there will be history made because he will make it." Suddenly, something disrupted Dorolh's process of thinking. Another strong wave appeared and on the beach was a girl appeared, too. He could not take any more suffering while he was looking at the girl. As only Dorolh's hands were able to move, he crawled as fast as he could to help the girl. Dorolh could not believe that it was the same girl that he saw on the sailor's ship. Unexpectedly, she started to breathe and Dorolh could not be more blissful than he was at this moment.

Eventually, after a few days he helped her to recover somehow. They spent weeks on the beach as if it was their home. He was laughing at her jokes and so she was laughing at his. Their relations became something more than, 'helping in survival'; both adored each other. However, in the darkest night of them all, when the wind was quite strong, she whispered in his ear, "Men always consider the concept of, 'sand and sea'. True men join both, 'sand' and, 'sea'. But which one, are you? That's the question to answer."

Abruptly, a gunshot was heard. Recognisable laughter was heard, too. Footsteps were heard more clearly than before. When Dorolh and the girl turned their heads, they saw…


	10. X

They saw a man with a long, ginger beard. The man wore almost nothing, besides a brown, ripped, dirty skirt. He was bold. The man's body was covered in blood, but not his own. He used the blood as a paint which terrified the girl. However, he was not horrifying enough to scare Dorolh. The man seemed as if he was the boss, the leader of all the mayhem that was created. His men surrounded the couple in a circle. Every single warrior was waiting to attack.

Even though the atmosphere was becoming frightening; Dorolh felt nothing. Yet, he felt a similar energy that he felt many years ago; when he was a young boy; when he was bullied. Dorolh looked at the leader and he recognised the similar features of his face to this bully. Suddenly, Dorolh stood up and said to the leader, "Marcus, is that you, brother?" The leader was shocked. He responded in a surprised fashion, "Hey, Dorolh. I thought you were dead; after so many years." Dorolh responded happily, "No, not really, I escaped as soon as they gave me a cell. However, that's the past. Rest my friend with your people. It's a night for glory!" Marcus responded bitterly, "Yeah, sure… and who is that, 'innocent bird' that sat near you?" Dorolh said with pride, "Marcus, this beauty that you see near me, is the woman that I adore." Marcus, in a jealous but respectable manner said, "Oh! That is great to hear." The expression changed upon Marcus's face into a more serious and dominant expression. He said, "Separate them both!" Four of Marcus's warriors shackled the girl and Dorolh. Marcus began his evil monologue, "You see, Dorolh… I hoped that you would die in prison. I told the chief of our village to send you there, because everybody knew… that you were a clumsy, unskilled punk. You were worthless to our village. However, you are alive, so I need to ultimately finish what I already started." Marcus took his gun and pointed directly at Dorolh's forehead. He was ready to pull the trigger, but Dorolh asked Marcus. "Why do you do this? I think it is pointless." Marcus agreed by nodding. He pointed the gun towards the girl and he executed her.

Dorolh's face did not change. He was neither crying nor shocked. Marcus went to have a last talk with Dorolh. Marcus's forehead was touching Dorolh's. Marcus whispered, "Finally, I think you proved that you are a man." Marcus took one step backwards; he looked at the two warriors who were holding Dorolh. He said to them, "Release him, now. Give him some food and a pistol with one bullet." The warriors did as they were commanded to. The whole group of savages left Dorolh and the dead girl behind.

Dorolh laid down next to the dead body of the girl. Then, Dorolh reloaded the gun. He put the gun into his mouth… and a gunshot was heard. Marcus only cruelly smiled.


	11. XI - Additional Chapter

Marcus's squad walked five more days. They did not ate or drunk in months. However, every single warrior was experienced enough to slaughter an animal or a person; so their group could survive without starving. The real reason why Marcus's squad was on the beach, it was due to the chief's decision. The chief, 'Xank' wanted to expand his little territory. Marcus's squad was the chief's elite. Certainly, his ten men could defeat an army of two hundred warriors without a drop of sweat. Their squad was also known as the, 'Bloody Warriors'. No other warriors were so well known and fearsome.

Finally, Marcus decided to rest on the beach. As the squad completed organising their camp, a night had begun. Marcus left a bonfire and he went to watch closely the sea…and he watched every new wave that was, 'approaching' the sand. Marcus spoke at loud, while he was talk to himself, "Dorolh … I never will be like him. So calm and peaceful, just like a DAMN SEA! I'm rough… like sand, but also uneasy to catch." Another male's voice responded to Marcus's monologue, "What?" Marcus asked roughly, "What do you want, Clanke? Are you unmannered to me? … to your leader!" Clanke was the youngest of all the warriors, but he was aware that Marcus is capable to even kill his own warriors. Clanke also knew that, 'disrespect' was not acceptable for Marcus. Therefore, Clanke begged his leader to forgive him. "Please my beloved leader, forgive me for my foolishness." Marcus said bitterly, "I forgive you, you fool. What do you want?" Clanke said with curiosity in his voice, "My beloved leader, do you feel happy after you killed your brother?" The leader said with pride, "I did not kill him, but he took his own life away. This act… I call a justice. Yes, a truthful justice." After these words, a poison arrow went through Marcus's back. Clanke took his sword out of his sheath, however it was too late as a savage used his knife to slaughter Clanke's throat. Marcus kneeled with his poison arrow which was killing him slowly. Then, the savage killer of Clanke, went in front of Marcus's face and said in his wild and low pitched voice, "This is a justice that our people offer to your village." When the savage finished his monologue, he stabbed Marcus with a poison knife near Marcus's heart. A few seconds later the savage left the leader of the, 'Bloody Warriors' in agony. Marcus's saliva started to appear out of his mouth, as if he was a wild animal. Finally, his face fell into the sand.


End file.
